White Bread

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This white bread recipe makes the perfect sandwich bread! It’s so delicious. When craving a tender peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a BLT or grilled cheese, this loaf of bread is what you need!

Your quest for the best sandwich bread is over! Even if you’re brand new to baking, you’ll experience amazing results. With clear instructions and lots of photos, this homemade white bread is an easy recipe. Tender. Sliceable. Satisfying. It’s the best sandwich bread you’ll ever make!

PIN THIS WHITE BREAD NOW TO MAKE IT LATER!

Loaf of homemade white bread for sandwiches next to a jar of raspberry preserves and knife.

WHITE BREAD INGREDIENTS

This easy bread recipe comes together quickly with just 6 basic ingredients. Conveniently, they’re common refrigerator and pantry items.

When you’re out of sandwich bread, there’s no need to head to the store. You can easily bake your own at home!

These are the ingredients for a beautiful loaf of bread:

  • Milk
  • Butter
  • Instant yeast or active dry yeast
  • Granulated sugar
  • All-purpose flour
  • Sea salt

NOTE: For ACTIVE DRY YEAST see “Expert Tips” for detailed recipe instructions.

Ingredients for white bread recipe arranged on a maple cutting board.

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HOW TO MAKE BREAD

This homemade white bread has an excellent texture, the perfect crumb, and a lovely crust. It has a nice rise with no large air pockets, making it the ideal sandwich bread. Did I mention, it also toasts beautifully? It’s exactly what you hope for when assembling a sandwich for mid-day lunch.

Here’s how to make light and fluffy homemade bread:

  • STEP 1: Place butter in a heat-safe measuring cup. In a small pan on the stovetop, heat milk to a simmer. Don’t scald the milk or let it boil, or too much liquid will evaporate!
  • STEP 2: Pour the hot milk over the butter. Let the mixture cool to 120°- 130°F for instant yeast, OR 100°- 110°F for active dry yeast.
  • STEP 3: Add flour, instant yeast, sugar,  and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine. If no stand mixer, use a mixing bowl with a Danish dough whisk, or wooden spoon and your hands.
  • STEP 4: Add the warm wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
A 4-image collage showing how to make the best sandwich bread recipe.

This easy sandwich bread recipe creates so much joy. It’s adapted from the bakers at King Arthur Flour!

WHITE BREAD RECIPE

This recipe yields one 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf of white sandwich bread, approximately 16 slices.

For a soft fluffy loaf the texture of the dough should be soft, elastic and supple, not hard. During drier months of the year, additional liquid may be needed to get a good rise: up to 4 tablespoons of water to hydrate the dough.

RECIPE PREP: Lightly grease a 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan with cooking spray, or with a neutral flavorless oil. Half way into the rise time (step 4), adjust oven racks: one rack in the middle, and one below. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  • STEP 1: Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until a dough forms and moves away from the sides of the bowl. 
  • STEP 2: Swap the dough hook for the paddle attachment. Knead for the dough for 6 to 8 minutes. The dough should be soft and pliable. It should not be hard, crumbly, sticky or wet. If needed, add a bit more flour or milk to achieve the desired texture. But do not over-knead the dough! If the gluten is over-stressed, the dough will end up tough and the bread will be very dense. Cover the bowl. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
  • STEP 3: With lightly-oiled hand hands, form the dough into an 8-inch log. Place the log, seam side down, into the prepared loaf pan.
  • STEP 4: Cover the pan loosely with waxed paper and a dry kitchen cloth, or with a lightly-greased piece of plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise undisturbed for 1 hour, or until it has domed above the edge of the pan by 1 inch. Do a test: Press a finger into the dough. If the mark rebounds slowly, the dough is ready to be baked.
4 images showing how to make homemade white bread for sandwiches.

HOW TO BAKE WHITE BREAD

BAKING SECRET: Add water to a cast iron pan or broiler pan. Place it on the lower oven rack. This will create steam during baking. It will help keep the white bread tender and soft.

  1. At 350°F, bake the loaf of bread for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown.
  2. Test the loaf to see if it’s done: Remove the loaf from the pan. Thump the bottom. It should sound hollow. The interior temperature in the middle should be 190°F. Transfer bread to a cooling rack.
  3. If desired, brush melted butter over the top and sides of the warm loaf of white bread.
A freshly-made loaf of homemade white bread on a cutting board next raspberry preserves.

EXPERT TIPS FOR SANDWICH BREAD

  • HOW TO USE ACTIVE DRY YEAST FOR THIS RECIPE: Add yeast and sugar to lukewarm mixture (100°- 110°F) of milk and butter. Once yeast is foamy and soft (about 5-10 minutes), add it to a mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients. Mix until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer dough to a lightly-greased work surface. Knead for 6-8 minutes. Transfer dough to a large lightly-greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Dough will be puffy but not doubled in size. Form dough into an 8-inch loaf. Place in greased loaf pan. Cover loosely with waxed paper and towel. Let rise for 1 hour. Bake as directed in recipe.
  • WHY DID LOAF OF BREAD NOT RISE? Most likely, there was a bit too much flour in your mixing bowl. For best results, always measure flour using the fluff and sprinkle technique.
  • NO DAIRY MILK? Use your favorite non-dairy milk! Soy, almond and rice all have neutral flavors that can each produce a loaf of bread perfect for sandwiches. But for a delicious change, try coconut milk. A loaf with that is so darn yummy!
  • HOW LONG WILL SANDWICH BREAD STAY FRESH? A well-wrapped loaf of white bread will stay fresh and soft for 3 to 4 days when stored at a cool room temperature.
  • HOW TO FREEZE WHITE BREAD: Put the loaf into a large zip-top freezer bag. Gently press out all the air and seal tightly. Another method is to wrap the loaf in several layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Homemade loaf of bread, with 3 freshly-sliced pieces, next to a jar of berry preserves.

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White bread loaf for sandwiches on a cutting board with peanut butter and jelly.

HOMEMADE WHITE BREAD > RATE THIS RECIPE! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My family says this is the best white bread recipe. It’s so darn good! If you agree, give it a 5-star rating in the comments.

Gold Line: Sprinkles of Inspiration | confettiandbliss.com
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White bread loaf for sandwiches on a cutting board with peanut butter and jelly.

White Bread


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 9 reviews

  • Author: Denay DeGuzman
  • Total Time: 1 Hour 55 Minutes
  • Yield: 1 Loaf White Bread 1x
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Description

This homemade white bread recipe is easy to make and so delicious! Soft, tender, with the perfect crumb, it’s the ideal loaf of sandwich bread!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 packet instant yeast or active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt

 


Instructions

BEST WHITE BREAD RECIPE

IMPORTANT: The instructions below are for instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, refer to the detailed instructions in the “notes” section.

  1. Add butter to a heat-safe measuring cup. Put it aside. In a small pan on the stovetop heat milk to a simmer. Don’t scald the milk or let it boil, or too much liquid will evaporate! Pour the hot milk over the butter. Let the mixture cool to 120°- 130°F for instant yeast (or 100°- 110°F for active dry yeast).
  2. Add flour, instant yeast, sugar,  and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine. If no stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl with a Danish dough whisk, or a wooden spoon and your hands. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until a dough forms and moves away from the sides of the bowl.
  3. With the dough hook attachment, knead dough for 6 to 8 minutes (or do this by hand on a lightly-greased surface). The dough should be soft and pliable, not hard, crumbly, sticky or wet. If needed, add a bit more flour or milk to achieve the desired texture. But do not over-knead the dough! If the gluten is over-stressed, the dough will end up tough and the bread will be very dense. For a soft fluffy loaf the texture of the dough should be soft, elastic and supple, not hard. During drier months of the year, additional liquid may be needed to get a good rise: up to 4 tablespoons of water to hydrate the dough.
  4. Cover the bowl. Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Lightly grease a 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan with cooking spray or a neutral flavorless oil.
  5. With lightly-oiled hand hands, form the dough into an 8-inch log. Place log, seam side down, into prepared loaf pan. Cover pan loosely with waxed paper and a dry kitchen cloth, or with a piece of lightly-greased plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise undisturbed for 1 hour, or until it has domed above the edge of the pan by 1 inch. When a finger is pressed into the dough, the mark should rebound slowly.
  6. About 15 minutes before the rising time has ended, adjust oven racks. One rack in the middle of the oven and one below. Preheat oven to 350°F.

HOW TO BAKE WHITE BREAD

RECIPE PREP: Add water to a cast iron pan or metal pie plate. Place it on the lower oven rack. This will create steam during the baking process and help keep the white bread tender and soft.

  1. At 350°F, bake the loaf of bread for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown.
  2. Test the loaf to see if it’s done: Remove the loaf from the pan. Thump the bottom. It should sound hollow. The interior temperature in the middle should be 190°F. Transfer bread to a cooling rack.
  3. If desired, brush melted butter over the top and sides of the warm loaf of white bread.

 

Notes

  • HOW TO USE ACTIVE DRY YEAST FOR THIS RECIPE: Add yeast and sugar to lukewarm mixture (100°- 110°F) of milk and butter. Once yeast is foamy and soft (about 5-10 minutes), add it to a mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients. Mix until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer dough to a lightly-greased work surface. Knead for 6-8 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly-greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Dough will be puffy but not doubled in size. Form dough into an 8-inch loaf. Place in greased loaf pan. Cover loosely with waxed paper and cloth. Let rise for 1 hour. Bake as directed in recipe.
  • WHY DID LOAF OF BREAD NOT RISE? Most likely, there was a bit too much flour in your mixing bowl. For best results, always measure flour using the fluff and sprinkle technique.
  • NO DAIRY MILK? Use your favorite non-dairy milk! Soy, almond and rice all have neutral flavors that can each produce a loaf of bread perfect for sandwiches. But for a delicious change, try coconut milk. A loaf with that is so darn yummy!
  • HOW LONG WILL SANDWICH BREAD STAY FRESH? A well-wrapped loaf of white bread will stay fresh and soft for 3 to 4 days when stored at a cool room temperature.
  • HOW TO FREEZE WHITE BREAD: Put the loaf into a large zip-top freezer bag. Gently press out all the air and seal tightly. Another method is to wrap the loaf in several layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months.
  • Prep Time: 25 Mins Active + 1 Hour Inactive
  • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
Gold Line: Sprinkles of Inspiration | confettiandbliss.com

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9 Comments

  1. I’m sitting here with my jaw on the ground because I had no idea white bread could be made at home so easily! Thanks so much for the recipe and instructions! xoxo






  2. This is the type of bread I prefer eating in the morning. I mean, the texture is absolutely amazing + I have the perfect jam for it :-)






  3. This bread is gorgeous! Light, fluffy and delicious. It’s so easy to make too. I may never buy bread again!